


A Wish for Happiness

by Tsukimi11



Category: Toaru Majutsu no Index | A Certain Magical Index
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Tanabata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25632250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukimi11/pseuds/Tsukimi11
Summary: Accelerator reads the story of Tanabata to Last Order, who gets charmed by the idea of having your wishes granted.But sometimes not all wishes can be fulfilled.
Relationships: Accelerator & Kamijou Touma, Accelerator & Last Order (A Certain Magical Index)
Kudos: 48





	A Wish for Happiness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KaguraKurosaki](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=KaguraKurosaki).



> This is a commissioned fic for Kagura! She wanted a fic with Accelerator and Last Order in Tanabata, so I tried my best to accommodate those ideas with the canon storyline although I'm not that familiar with the Toaru universe. It was very fun to write, especially Last Order's dialogues!
> 
> Enjoy!

**September**

_ Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess called Orihime, daughter of the Sky King Tentei. Orihime would spend her days weaving beautiful clothes by the Milky Way _ _ — _

“But how can she do that when people cannot survive in space? asks Misaka as Misaka tilts her head in confusion,” Last Order interrupted Accelerator while she pulled his shirt, demanding his immediate attention. Accelerator sighed in irritation, pretty sure he hadn’t signed up to be bombarded with ridiculous questions when he had started reading the book Last Order had handed him.

“This is just a children’s story, you don’t need to think too hard about things,” he replied curtly, not wanting to prolong this torture much longer. 

It had been excruciating enough that he had agreed to read the book out aloud that Last Order had found lying around in the children’s ward of the hospital—he still didn’t know what had possessed him to say yes to her. He hadn’t wanted to read it to her, but after her many whinings he felt he didn’t have any choice in the matter or else she would pester him for days, given past experiences. By now, he just didn’t have the patience to be cut off every few sentences to explain things that could not be explained. 

“But how can she breathe in space and make clothes out there? insists Misaka as Misaka points at the starry background in the children’s book. She’s not even wearing a space suit, so how can she be okay out there?”

“They are gods, they don’t need to breathe as you and me,” Accelerator answered, already feeling a headache coming. 

He knew that reading a fantasy book to Last Order was a bad idea.

“But—”

“Shut up, sit down and just listen, you brat,” Accelerator pulled Last Order away from him as she had been trying to sit on his lap and made her sit next to him instead, ignoring her complaints. “Or else I will go back to sleep and you won’t be able to know what happens next.”

Last Order pouted, grumbled something about being him being unfair, but fortunately she kept quiet after that, arms crossed in silent protest and her cow lick moving back and forth. 

Accelerator sighed, hoping that this silence would last a few more minutes or at least until he finished reading the book, knowing deep down that it was an impossible wish because this was Last Order, who never shut up around him.

_ Orihime would spend her days weaving beautiful clothes by the Milky Way for his father _ _ , but she was sad because she could not meet and fall in love with anyone due to her busy work.  _

“But why couldn’t she just go meet people in her free time? asks Misaka as Misaka cannot keep quiet anymore in her confusion,” Last Order interrupted Accelerator again with an almost mischievous smile, eyes glinting as if dearing Accelerator to shut her up once more. 

Accelerator felt tempted to find some tape around and shut her up by force, but he knew by experience that she would just retaliate by cutting his supply to the Misaka network and not allowing him to talk or worse, move. How unfair was that he was not able to do the same to her when she was being a little shit on purpose, like now.

_ Concerned about his daughter, Tentei made plans so his daughter could meet Hikoboshi, the herder of cows of Heaven, who lived and worked on the other side of the Milky Way _ .

“So there are cows in the sky? interrupts Misaka as Misaka is a bit annoyed that her previous question was ignored and tries to get you to answer Misaka’s questions.”

Accelerator rolled his eyes and decided to ignore her until the end of the book, or else they would be stuck in the first pages of the book for hours, and he really wanted to sleep.

_ When Orihime and Hikoboshi met, they fell instantly in love with each other and they got married. However, once they got married, Orihime stopped weaving clothes for his father and Hikoboshi no longer herded the cows, so the animals would run all over Heaven.  _

“It would be really nice to see a lot of animals just running around in a big field, says Misaka as Misaka happily imagines a lot of cows running after a certain person.”

Accelerator bit his tongue as it was very clear who Last Order was referring to, trying to reason with himself that Last Order was just a child and he shouldn’t get seriously mad with a brat that was obviously trying to get under his skin.

_ Tentei got mad that Orihime and Hikoboshi didn’t do their jobs, so he separated the two lovers across the Milky Way and forbade them to meet. _

“That’s so cruel! says Mikasa as Mikasa gets angry and wants to teach the father a lesson about love and stinginess!” Last Order sat up straight and raised her fist up the air in rebellion, barely missed punching Accelerator in the chin.

Accelerator closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and ignoring Last Order’s raging declarations of the importance of true love, as if she knew what she was talking about.

_ Orihime grew sad because he couldn’t see her husband anymore and asked her father to let them meet again. Tentei, moved by his daughter’s tears, allowed them the two of them to meet once a year on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard and finished her clothes.  _

“Slavery! That is so unfair! says Misaka as Misaka punches you lightly in her anger,” Last Order interrupted Accelerator and started to physically attack him, and while it didn’t hurt, it didn’t irritate him the less.

Accelerator closed the book in a huff and lay down in his bed on his side, ignoring Last Order’s protests at how the story was being cut short. Well, if he was going to be attacked for something that was not his fault at all, then he could spend his time sleeping as he had originally intended—that is, until a ball of energy with a cow lick that insisted of being near him had came rushing into his room, branding a book she had found and demanding him to read it our for her.

He wasn’t being paid to babysit, for fuck’s sake. 

Last Order whined but after getting no response, she grew quiet and sat down with a thud next to him on the bed.

“The frog doctor said that this book explained the story behind Tanabata, says Misaka as Misaka wants to teach you a nice thing. He said that in Tanabata, you write down wishes and tie them down in a bamboo for Gods to grant them, adds Misaka as Misaka wonders the what’s the relationship between that story and the wishes.”

Accelerator opened his eyes, remembering those times when he was a child and he saw other children getting excited about Tanabata and what they would write about, and him listening on them secretly to try to share their enthusiasm.

“The story says that they can meet once a year, so when it rains, they can’t see each other. So when the sky is clear and they can meet without problems, they grant people’s wishes as a thank you.”

“Do they really grant people’s wishes? asks Misaka as Misaka gets curious about the possibility of getting a giant Gekota. Even though people can’t really control weather, and there are so many people that they shouldn’t be able to grant all those wishes?” Last Order leaned towards Accelerator and laid on top of him gently, kicking her legs on the air playfully. 

“Who knows,” Accelerator replied, thinking of the times he had seen other children tying down their wishes on the bamboo that the teachers put up in their classrooms, while his classroom was bare. He remembered making his own paper strip and writing on it, asking for friends, but then having no place to tie it down. He remembered looking for a place to tie it down but in between his classes he ended up losing the paper strip, and then all the bamboo branches had disappeared as Tanabata had been over. 

His wish was not to be granted, it seemed.

Last Order hummed piensively.

“Then Misaka wants it to be Tanabata soon so Misaka can wish for Misaka to be together forever with you! says Misaka as Misaka makes an announcement,” Last Order declared happily.

Accelerator froze. 

He turned slowly to face Last Order, who was smiling at him with childish excitement, as if she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him. With him, someone who had been used his whole life and didn’t know a thing about normalcy. With him, a monster who had killed so many people that no amount of repentance or punishment would be enough. With him, a broken abnormally that was thrown to the side once he was no longer of use to anyone.

Why would anyone want to be with him?

Something foreign stirred inside of him, but he tried to ignore it by humphing and turning away, not able to face her again.

“Do whatever you want.”

He couldn’t see her, but he somehow felt her smiling brightly.

The thought made him wonder if this was what it felt to have someone who genuinely cared for him and he closed his eyes, trying to forget about it.

There was no way someone felt that way about him, after all.

* * *

**December**

“Last Order wanted to spend Christmas with you, you know?”

Accelerator raised his head and turned towards the voice, not surprised to see that Kamijou Touma had decided to visit him in his cell, concern obvious in his expression.

Accelerator tsked. He knew he was forgetting something when he told the guards to not let Last Order come visit him. He should have told them that Kamijou Touma and Hamazura Shiage were not welcome as well—he just didn’t want to see their faces full of pity, nor did he want to hear them trying to convince him to get out and look for atonement in another way.

He had been thinking about ways to pay for his sins for months, and this was the best solution. Behind bars, he could still rule over Academy City and make sure that the Sisters were safe and cared for. Behind bars, he could make sure that no one got harmed because of him, be it because someone wanted to kill him to take over the city or because they wanted to take the name of ‘the strongest’ from him. Behind bars, he could teach an example to all those bastards in the dark side of the city, that no one would be able to get away without a proper punishment. Behind bars, he could make sure that everyone knew he was the villain they needed to fear, that he was the evil that did horrible things to the Sisters, that he was no hero or saviour.

And most importantly, Last Order wouldn’t grow up with a bad figure in her life and she would be able to have a normal life if he wasn’t around, or at least, she would be able to have a peaceful life without the terrors of the dark side of the world preying on her.

This was the best solution for everyone. And no one, not even Kamijou Touma, would be able to change his mind about the matter.

“I’m sure she only wanted to see me in a Santa Claus costume and laugh at me,” Accelerator commented when his visitor said nothing else, not sure what was he supposed to say or what to do when prompted with something as innocent as Christmas. 

“Maybe,” Kamijou Touma humoured him a little. “But I’m sure that she just wanted to spend time with you and, you know… open some presents. Maybe have the chance to give you a gift.”

“I wouldn’t know what to give her. She’s not like the glutton brat that’s always with you.”

“Well, I’m sure that Index would be over the moon with a free meal coupon to a buffet,” Kamijou Touma laughed. “But the spirit of Christmas is to spend it with people dear to you. Are you sure you can’t get out of here for just one day? Pretty sure that one day out to spend it with us wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

“And you are the one saying this?”

“Ahh,” Kamijou Touma scratched his head sheepishly. “I’m sure that with my luck, something big will happen that day.”

“Then don’t say stupid things,” Accelerator replied curtly, not wanting to discuss the matter much longer. 

It would just give him useless fantasies and hopes, and Accelerator was not in the mood for happy thoughts. 

He was in jail for a reason, and it wasn’t to fantasize about the what-ifs and useless dreams.

Kamijou Touma sighed before he sat down next to him in silence, so they were sitting down together—only separated by the thick bars of the prison. 

“I will help you out of here,” Kamijou Touma declared, as the hero he was. “I swear I’ll protect your dream, because you deserve to be happy out there.”

Accelerator hummed. He knew that there was no stopping the hero once he was decided on something, but just this time he wished that he stopped that positivity of his and left him to rot in the dark.

It was what he deserved, after all.

* * *

“What is that weird thing? asks Misaka as Misaka points at the weird plant that Misaka has brought into the room,” Last Order was quick to ask when she saw Misaka Worst coming into Yomikawa’s living room with a bamboo branch, having been quickly distracted from the card game she was playing with Yoshikawa.

“Huh? Can’t you see that this is a bamboo branch? How blind can you be?” Misaka Worst fires back while she puts it down, an irritated scowl in her face.

“Yeah, but she means… why did you bring a bamboo branch home?” Yoshikawa asked, confused.

“Because the brat asked for it, obviously!”

“Don’t use such harsh words,” Yomikawa reprimanded her as she got into the room, looking exhausted. “Wasn’t it your idea to get one? It was sure hard looking for a bamboo at this time of the year, I swear.”

“So why did you get a bamboo? asks Misaka as Misaka stands up and goes to play with her new toy while wondering why they brought bamboo when Christmas needs a pine tree,” Last Order quickly went to check the bamboo branch, touching the leaves and hopping around it.

“Because you need a bamboo branch for Tanabata, of course!” Misaka Worst replied while plopping down on the sofa.

“But Tanabata is on July and we are on December, argues Misaka as Misaka points at the calendar in confusion!”

“Well, what’s wrong with having an early Tanabata?” replied Yomikawa while she went to the kitchen to grab a can of beer. “No one said that we have to celebrate it only on July.”

“Actually, the point of Tanabata is to celebrate it on July because that’s the date Altair and Vega can be seen together on the sky,” stated Yoshikawa calmly, tidying up the cards seeing as no one would want to continue their game.

“Don’t be such a joykill,” groaned Yomikawa. “As long as the kids have fun, who cares about the small details?”

“Please explain, asks Misaka as Misaka does not understand what is happening and Misaka feels excluded from the conversation!” Last Order piped up, irritation clear in her voice while she voiced her confusion.

The two adults glanced at each other, with Yoshikawa having an equal puzzled expression as Last Order.

“Huh? You didn’t tell her? What kind of adult are you then?” scoffed Misaka Worst, and then she chuckled. “Misaka told you it was weird to celebrate Tanabata on December!”

“But you were the one that wanted to do it,” pointed Yomikawa.

“Shut up!” Misaka Worst avoided everyone’s eyes and turned her head to the side with a humph and a slight blush. “Misaka did it so the brat would shut up and finally move on! She was moping too much about not being able to spend Christmas with that villain, that this Misaka had to do something! And Misaka remembered that you can ask for wishes on Tanabata, so—”

“So Misaka can have Misaka’s wishes granted with this bamboo? asks Misaka with hope as Misaka gives the adults puppy eyes so they can celebrate Tanabata early!”

Yoshikawa sighed but smiled at Last Order.

“Okay, let me get the materials so we can write our wishes down,” she said while standing up to look for paper and pencils.

“Misaka wants to help! exclaims Misaka as Misaka follows after you!”

Yoshikawa and Last Order disappeared into one of the rooms and Yomikawa took a sip of her beer, smiling at Misaka Worst.

“You are a good kid, did you know that?”

“Shut up!”

“Why does Misaka need to burn the bamboo tree the next day? asks Misaka as Misaka feels sad that all the hard work will now be destroyed,” Last Order tugged lightly at Yoshikawa’s clothes as they watched how Yomikawa and Misaka Worst did preparations to burn the tree in an empty slot in the parking lot of their building.

She was saddened at the thought that all those meaningful wishes they had spent the previous writing on bright and colorful papers were just going to disappear in ashes. She had not made wishes so they could be destroyed.

“We burn the wishes so they can reach the sky, and Orihime and Hikiboshi can read them,” explained Yoshikawa gently. “That way, they can grant our wishes.”

Last Order’s hold on Yoshikawa’s clothes tightened, but she said nothing.

It made sense, she reasoned. From the day that that person had read the story to her, she had always wondered how the gods could grant their wishes but had forgotten to ask every time. She would miss the bright papers, but if that meant that she could be reunited with that person soon…

She felt the need to ask them to stop the burning when she saw that they had taken the matches out, but at the same time, her need to see that person again was stronger, so she tried to behave.

She was not a child that had to throw tantrums all the time. She had to demonstrate that she had grown up and could act as an adult at times.

Yoshikawa seemed to sense her uneasiness and crouched down to be on her level.

“Want to see the bamboo up close? That way you can see how they go up to the Heavens.”

Last Order nodded and took Yoshikawa’s hand.

Misaka Worst noticed them getting closer, but said nothing. However, Last Order noticed that she seemed a bit stiff, and wondered why—at these times she wished that she could acces her memories freely with the Network, but maybe she had a good reason to shut her down.

Yomikawa lit the bamboo tree on fire and Last Order observed how it got consumed slowly by flames, the smoke going up the skies as the bright papers became ashes slowly and the words could not be read anymore. All the yellow, pink and blue became difficult to see behind the fire, even the white paper that—

Last Order’s eyes widened. She was pretty certain that there had been no white paper to write wishes on, so whose wish was it? What had been written on it? 

She slowly took a step forward and teared up at recognizing the handwriting, understanding in that second why had Misaka Worst insisting on celebrating Tanabata even though it was December, why had she felt that there had been a male visitor while she was sleeping, and why had Misaka Worst acted a bit weird when they were about to burn the bamboo tree with the wishes.

“This is so much like that person, says Misaka as Misaka tries not to cry. That’s why Misaka needs to still care for him, because someone needs to teach him to be more honest to himself.”

Misaka Worst glanced at Last Order and chuckled.

“Couldn’t agree more.”

Together, they watched as Accelerator’s wish burned and went up the sky in smoke.

_ I wish for Last Order and everyone to smile in happiness in the light. _

“Misaka will save you, declares Misaka as Misaka knows that Misaka’s wish will come true. You just wait, and Misaka will come and make you happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me at [Twitter](https://twitter.com/chileanli)! (although I do not tweet too much about Toaru, sorry)


End file.
